A London, Ont., family bought this triplex. Some tenants refuse to leave, but that's not unusual

As the backlog of cases at Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board continues to grow, so does the friction between landlords and tenants. 

This summer, two sisters and their husbands purchased a triplex in London, Ont., with plans to convert it into two units so the two families could live under one roof on Baker Street in Old South. But three men who live in one of the two-bedroom units say they're not moving out until the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) orders them to, and they're within their legal rights to do so.

"We have not been able to find another place to rent," said tenant Chris MacPhail, who, along with his two roommates, was served an N12 notice this fall with a termination date of Nov. 30.

An N12 is a form a landlord is required to issue to tenants under Ontario's Residential and Tenancies Act when they intend to have either themselves or a relative move into a rental unit.

"I'm looking at a place every other day," said MacPhail. Before they received the N12, he and his roommates paid $1,000 a month for their two-bedroom unit, well below market value. 

Contractor and first-time homeowner James Lyndon was hopeful all the tenants at 453 Baker St. would move out, as promised verbally during the sale by the previous owner. 

Lyndon is keeping the lights on in the unit and heated for the three men, although Lyndon said he refuses to call them tenants as he waits for the tribunal to give his case a hearing date.

Lyndon has been renovating the house, just not inside the unit that is occupied.

The three roommates tried to pay rent for December, but Lyndon said he is not taking money from them.

"They're supposed to be gone."

Both MacPhail and Lyndon said the police have been at the house multiple times in recent days as the two sides clashed when Lyndon's crew began emptying out the basement into a garbage bin. They've also argued over heating and electricity, they said.

Five of the units' 10 outlets are operational, said Lyndon.

"We are doing what is established by the law," said Lyndon's sister-in-law and co-homeowner Irma Meteluch. "Whether it is efficient or not, we are following."

Meteluch and her husband sold their home of 12 years to get in on the Baker Street deal and didn't anticipate the current problems. The couple is renting a place while they wait to move into their new home.